Ascension Parish’s new recreation director, Michael King, introduced

The Ascension Parish recreation committee introduced recently hired recreation director Michael King during its Feb. 11 virtual meeting.

King said he originally hails from a small town in South Carolina. His recreational opportunities were limited when he was a child.

“There were no real options for me growing up as a kid. I had basically two ball fields to choose from when we were playing baseball and that was about it,” he said.

After moving to a larger city, he discovered more opportunities and expanded his view of recreation.

“It wasn’t just sports. It wasn’t just baseball, in particular,” he said.

King earned a degree in recreation and sports management from Coastal Carolina. He eventually moved to Baton Rouge, where he began working for BREC in 2016.

His primary responsibility was to manage the two mobile recreation units. It goes out to “play deserts” to provide recreational opportunities where options are limited.

King gave an overview to identify new growth opportunities and build on current successes over a 90-day period.

“That became really key in my last position, and I really want to put that in here and make sure we know where we’re going and everyone in the department is on the same page,” he said.